The TV series Lost started in 2004, back in the days before on-demand streaming. My family and I were captivated by the show. In those days, you planned your schedule around when a TV show aired so you didn’t miss it. If you missed an episode, it may be hard to understand the next episode. So, for seven seasons we faithfully watched to find out what the island was. What was the smoke creature? Who were “the others”? What was in the hatch? What would happen if they didn’t press the button? What would happen when they left the island…

Years ago I watched Hardball with Keanu Reeves and one scene has rolled around in the back of my mind ever since. I don’t remember the whole plot of the movie but he is coaching an inner-city baseball team and this is a talk he gave to his team.

“I want you guys to take a good look at yourselves and feel proud. We made it here. We’re here. What I’ve learned from you is that really one of the most important things in life is showing up. I’m blown away by your ability to show up through everything that’s…

My good friend, Will Holcomb, asked me to write an article about how I see the current world situation and the situation in America. Will wrote about me in his book series The Infinite Jeff and some readers of that series have been asking him what I would say about the current situation. So, as a favor to Will, I’ll explain things from my perspective.

First, a little about me to help you understand what I’m about to say. Some of you may have read The Infinite Jeff and have a relationship with me and somewhat of an understanding of…

I grew up in an all-white community in northern Michigan. I distinctly remember seeing my first black person who was visiting our church. I was probably about 10 years old, which would have been in the early-1970s, and I remember looking at him in wonder. In the early 1980s, one of the young women from the town joined the military and came back with her black fiancee. That caused a lot of talking and none of it was positive, supportive, or understanding. I laughed at black jokes and told my fair share. …

The research was coming out and cigarette companies were panicking. Smoking was trendy, Hollywood stars were paid to smoke a company’s brand, money was rolling in. Then the research started showing the damage cigarettes did to the body and the potential for the industry to collapse was real. The industry needed to find a way to survive. This document from 1969 talks about the strategy. It is interesting to read for many reasons. Here are some excerpts.

“I think the anti-cigarette forces can be characterized as dedicated opportunists. …

I watched the Democratic debates for their 2020 primary. There were some impressive people on stage with some great platform points. I especially liked Tulsi Gabbard, currently a Major in the Hawaii Army National Guard and served in Iraq and Kuwait. I like her stance against war. There were some great ideas up there and a lot of passion. When I watched the Republican primary debates for the 2016 primary I really liked John Kasich. I would have voted for him if he had won the Republican primary. I’m not a Democrat and I’m not a Republican. I don’t even…

My story of becoming a writer starts with, “I never planned on being a writer, it just happened …” That journey is fraught with insecurity because there are so many people whose life long dreams are to become writers and they worked hard to hone their craft. I had story ideas and thought about writing them at different points in my life, but it was never a goal in life, only passing thoughts. I’d imagine it’s common for people to toy with story ideas.

But, when it happened, it happened. I had an hour and forty-five-minute commute one-way and was…